


Time Grafting

by eraluna



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Children of Earth Fix-It, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-18 14:03:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10618458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eraluna/pseuds/eraluna
Summary: Gwen and Ianto find themselves transported from the tumultuous events of the 456 invasion to the relative calm of the Torchwood hub. A year earlier.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Torchwood and Doctor Who do not belong to me

He's dying.

Would his life flash before his eyes, like they always say in the books?

Ianto collapses to the ground, just barely caught by Jack. His vision blurs around the edges and it gets harder and harder to breathe.

He knows he would die while Jack would keep going. He knows that for Jack, their time together would be a blink of an eye. But he expected longer than this. This is far less than a blink. It isn't fair!

Jack gazes at him with bloodshot eyes, struggling to hold back tears "It's all my fault" he says at last.

"No it’s not" Ianto forces out. It isn't. It was Ianto's idea to stand up to the 456, and they both rushed in without a plan.

But they were such idiots. Next to nothing is known on the abilities of the 456, and he and Jack rushed in and declared war on them. What did they expect?

"Don't speak, save your breath" says Jack, his breath catching.

_Does Jack believe he will get out of this one alive?_

_Well, if this was his last chance to say it._

"I love you".

He never said this before. Jack hasn’t either. Ianto’s love for Jack is an unspoken truth, resting just beneath the surface of their relationship. He has grown to love him as much if not more than Lisa, but he never knew if Jack felt the same way.

But Jack shakes his head, saying "Don't".

What does that mean? Don't speak, or don't say 'I love you'?

He wants to ask but he's so tired. He closes his eyes briefly but is shaken back into awareness by an increasingly hysterical sounding Jack, pleading Ianto to stay with him. "Hey" he said, trying to smile "It was good yeah?".

Jack nodded "Yeah"

Torchwood was fun. It gave him meaning again; a chance to make a difference in the world. But had he really made any mark on the world?

"Don't forget me" he said.

'Never could' said Jack.

But was that really true? Ianto hopes that he will be remembered, that he has made a difference, but he has been a part of Torchwood for such a short time, and Jack has already loved and lost so many. In the eternity that Jack has, he will continue to outlive everyone he meets. Jack has a daughter, and he never told him….

"A thousand year's time… you won't remember me"

But Jack immediately denies this "Yes I will. I promise I will."

Ianto tries to respond, but he cannot find the strength. He closes his eyes for the last time.

Or so he thinks.

* * *

 He dimly feels Jack kissing him, and somehow, incredibly, he feels strength returning to his body. He’s coming back to life!

But when he opens his eyes, Thames House, the 456, and Jack are gone.

He is back in the Hub, but it is intact and everyone is here; not just Gwen and Jack but also Owen and Tosh.

Is he alive? Is this heaven? But it can't be. Both Suzie and Owen said that after death, there is only darkness. And he doesn’t feel dead. What is the alternative?...

Time travel?

Actually, when he thinks about it, it probably is some sort of time travel.

Tosh _oh god… Tosh_ walks by. She smiles at him slightly. "Are you alright?" she asks.

Thinking quickly Ianto decides not to say anything. He isn’t sure what is going on, but if this turns out to be time travel, if he says anything, uncomfortable questions would follow. Tosh and Owen do not need to know that they died, and he doesn't want to lie. Plus, there are the endless paradox stories he remembers Jack telling him.

He smiles at her, _You’re alive_! "Sorry Tosh, I'm fine. Just tired"

Tosh nods in commiseration, but continues to give him a strange look. Perhaps he is smiling wider than normal. "Well, I'm not surprised, we had a late night yesterday".

_Oh, did we?_

Ianto nods, still smiling, as Tosh returns to her desk. He glances at the date on her computer: May 17, 2008. About a year before 456 came to earth. What happened? He surreptitiously looks around at the others, wondering if he is the only one to have time traveled.

Owen and Jack looked normal, but Gwen (never one to hide her emotions) stares around the hub with the same mixture of shock, grief, and hope that he is feeling himself.

Ianto stares at Gwen until he catches her attention. Gwen’s look of astonishment grows several degrees more pronounced when she sees him. She smiles tentatively, her eyes filling with tears. He smiles back, sharing with her this moment of wonder. Did he actually die back in the future? Is that why Gwen looks at him now with such tearful astonishment?

With a meaningful look, he walks down to the archives, the setting of countless CCTV wipes back in the horrible days with Lisa. Of course, deleting footage would only work if Jack does not suddenly decide to start watching them now, which he does when he is bored, but at the moment at least, he seems absorbed in a glowing alien artifact. It may have been residing in his pocket from some long ago adventure, or taken from the archives a few minutes ago. You never know with Jack. Or his coat.

He gazes at the barely controlled chaos that makes up the archives, marveling at what he thought he would never see again.

Before he came to Torchwood, the archives were a hopeless jumble of infinite varieties of alien artifacts. An electric crossbow from Tara could be found next to beautiful musical instrument from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius (if Jack's outrageous stories could be believed). If there was an organizer, they had done a terrible job. After Lisa's death, Ianto spent three weeks obsessively organizing the archives. Jack initially tried to stop him, but after Ianto came back again and again, he relented. Each day, once Ianto collapsed from exhaustion, Jack picked him up and drove him home. There were an infinite number of rooms, and eventually Ianto gave up, breaking down into tears. Jack saw this on the security footage and he sent the rest of the team home. He told him that if he managed to stay away from the Hub for a week, he would bring him back on the team, and let him take a more active role in field work. Ianto agreed to do this. It was horrible, but Jack visited or called him every day, checking to make sure that he was alright. When he finally came back with fresh eyes, he saw that the archives really looked so much better.

A short while later, Gwen appears. Out of site from the others, they embrace desperately

“Just so we’re on the same page” Ianto murmurs, “I assume you’ve time traveled as well?” Gwen laughs, still in tears. “Ianto… you died. Just minutes ago I was mourning over your body. I hugged Jack and then I was here. I don’t suppose you have any idea what happened?”

“I know as much as you” he replies. “Should we tell anyone? I remember talking with Jack about how complicated time travel can be”.

“I suppose we should lay low for a while? Make sure our presence in itself isn’t causing a major paradox?” she sighs, frowning in thought “But I need to believe we’ve been given a second chance. if the universe doesn’t collapse after a few weeks, we have to save Tosh and Owen”.

Ianto nods “And destroy the 456.”

“What about the Doctor?” asks Gwen “Do you still remember his phone number? He might know what’s going on.”

“He might. I would even suggest he might have something to do with this except his time travel seemed to involve more weird noises and blue phone boxes”.

Gwen smirks at this.

“I do have the Doctor’s number, but we have to make sure the others don’t see him or there will be awkward questions. As strange as this all is, the weirdest thing is that we should be here, but we’re not.” He elaborates upon seeing Gwen’s raised eyebrows. “Our past selves I mean. If it is true that we have time traveled, then we’re almost exactly a year into the past. Why are we not working in the hub with the rest of us? It’s as if the past year was just a dream.”

“We also need to figure out exactly where we are in the timeline. If we are allowed to change it, we’ll have to know exactly what to change”.

Jack’s voice floats down from above. “Go home guys, get some rest, you deserve it”. They get to the upper levels of the Hub, where Owen and Tosh are already packing up “I hope you and Rhys enjoy Paris” he tells Gwen.

Ianto smiles at Gwen’s expression of delighted surprise. He remembers this trip. Ostensibly it was an opportunity to network with important government officials, but in reality Jack had organized this trip for Rhys after the whole fiasco with the giant cow, to better acquaint him with the fact that his fiance was working for an extremely dangerous organization running around after aliens. Now they knew where they were in the the timeline.

“I almost forgot. Thanks Jack!” Gwen beams at the two of them before heading out of the hub.

Ianto gazes at Jack Harkness. The last time he was this close to him, he was slowly dying of an alien poison. If the doctor could be believed, he still was.

But near death experiences really put things into perspective. At this moment, he's still alive and he feels perfectly fine. He could be in a position to save Tosh and Owen. He has more time to spend with Jack. Soon he will need to figure out what they could actually do in this timeline without destroying the universe, but for now, he couldn’t be happier with the current state of affairs.

He leans forward and kisses Jack deeply, embracing him. Jack responds with enthusiasm.

Later, they lay down together side by side on Jack’s bed, talking about nothing in particular. Just like old times.

Jack unexpectedly stops talking and frowns, gazing at him in concern.

“Ianto, you seem sad. Is something wrong?”.

He thought he was acting completely normal.

Which brings up the question. _Jack was a professional time traveler once. How can he possibly keep his being from the future a secret?_

He isn’t sure

Ianto smiles softly. Despite his attempt to act normal, he feels dangerously on the verge of crying. “I’m not sad actually. I’m happy. I wouldn’t give this life up for the world”.

Jack looks curiously at him “What brought this on” he asks.

“Nothing at all” says Ianto, and he kisses him again.

* * *

After a lovely evening with Jack, Ianto leaves the Hub, texting Gwen that he’s heading to his flat. He has the intention of calling the Doctor as soon as she comes over, but the Doctor beats him to it. As Ianto approaches his flat, he hears the signature wheezing noise of the TARDIS. He heard the TARDIS before exactly once, over the security cameras when it came to take Jack away. He would never forget the sound. He calmly sits down on a nearby bench, watching the blue phone box slowly materialize next to him.

The Doctor storms out of the TARDIS. He is a skinny man with scruffy hair, a nice brown suit, and an expression of utter desolation on his face.

He sniffs the air “2008” he says, turning to glare at the phone box. “A year after Canary Wharf, and in Cardiff no less.  What reason could you possibly have for sending me here?”

_Well, that’s his cue._

“Doctor” Ianto calls, standing up.

The Doctor spins around, looking startled. _Curious. He didn’t expect the Doctor to be so out of it._ It appears that he hadn’t noticed him, despite him sitting right in front of the TARDIS.

The Doctor looks around wildly before finding Ianto. When he does, his eyes darken.

“I’m sorry, have we met?”

He sounds as if he is dreading the answer

“Sort of. We have, but maybe not for you.” Ianto hesitates, but then forges on. Best be direct.

“My name is Ianto Jones, and something strange happened to my friend Gwen and I involving time travel. We were wondering if you knew anything about it?”

The Doctor slumps down onto the bench, staring at Ianto. “I can tell you what’s going on” he answers, sounding reluctant. “Look, I’ve got an ability to sense timelines, so just looking at you I can tell what happened. Your timeline doubles back on itself, a sign of someone from the future… Returning to the past of your own personal timeline is dangerous, but I have seen it done before. However, you have a unique timeline in that it appears to be in a time graft”. He pauses, waiting for a response. Ianto gives it to him.

“Time graft? What does that mean?”

“It’s a method of rewriting fixed points in time. You see, there are certain events in the universe that are normally set in stone, because they have such a lasting impact on the timelines, and interfering with them would cause the fabric of reality to collapse. Time grafts work around this rule by creating an alternate timeline solely for the events of the graft. You may have noticed that your past selves aren’t here: that’s because you’re in a completely different universe from them”.

Ianto blinks. “So changing events in this timeline won’t destroy the universe then?”

“To a point, yes. Timelines are still very tricky, and you might end up causing the very event you wish to alter.” The Doctor frowns warningly at Ianto “There are two main rules to time grafting if I remember correctly. One: You cannot leave the general vicinity of your timeline. In other words, stay on earth. If you stray too far from your timeline, you would break the loop, and the universe would go about destroying you and all evidence that you ever existed”

“Alright then. No space.”

“And two: There is one being closely involved in your timeline who sent you and Gwen back, but they wouldn’t have known it. Whoever it is, you absolutely cannot tell that person, they are the bridge between the two timelines, and if they find out they’re living in a time graft, the loop will break. You don’t happen to know who this person could be? ”.

“Do you know Jack Harkness yet?” responds Ianto. “He’s … a friend”.

The Doctor sighs, smiling ruefully “Of course it would be him”.

“Can I talk to anyone else about this besides Gwen?”

“You can, but it would be risky. By the way, in case I wasn’t clear earlier, I didn’t do this. The sheer power required to pull this off is immense, far beyond my abilities. The last time I heard about time grafting was as a child. It was proposed by some Time Lord scholar, I forgot who, but anyway it was always thought of as a silly theory. The most powerful Time Lord wouldn’t be able to create a time graft. Actually, there is only one being I know of with the power.”

His expression, which is been turning more animated by the second, suddenly crumples. “But she’s gone” he finishes, and he looks close to tears. Ianto debates attempting to comfort him, but then the Doctor turns away and draws in a deep breath, composing himself.

“There’s one more thing you should know” he says in an oddly mild voice. I’m sorry Ianto Jones. I’m so so sorry, but I think you’re going to die. In fact, you’re dying right this second”.


	2. Chapter 2

Perhaps Ianto should have taken the news of his (apparent) upcoming demise with greater equanimity, considering he had already died just a few hours ago. Jack would have.

Still, he isn’t Jack. Ianto can almost feel his throat constricting, like he’s breathing in poison all over again.

Something about the Doctor’s expression makes Ianto believe him completely.

“How?” asks Ianto in an hoarse voice. “Does it have to do with how I died in the original timeline? It was some sort of poison.”

The Doctor nods “ When you were absorbed into the time graft, the condition of your body remained as it was. At this point, you won’t be able to sense it, but the poison in your system will grow, and by the time you reach the point of your original death, you will die again, unless you find a cure”.

“Do you happen to know of a cure?” asks Ianto. “I was poisoned by aliens we called the 456 who invaded in a year’s time; they tried to steal 10% of the earth’s population of children. You must know them.”

“The 456?” The Doctor shakes his head “I’m so sorry but I don’t know them”

He was going to say more but then he looks behind Ianto and his eyes widens “Is that your friend?” he asked.

Ianto turns around. Gwen is on the other side of the street, waiting for the light to turn green; She gives them a little wave.

Ianto waves back, then turns to the Doctor. “Is Gwen in any danger? She was pregnant.”

“How long?”

“Not very, a few weeks at the most”.

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem”.

 _Well that’s a relief._ “Then please don’t tell her about the poison. I don’t want her, or anyone, to worry. Not yet.”

The Doctor looks at him doubtfully “If you’re sure”.

At this point, Gwen reaches them. She stares at the Doctor in shock. He smiles at her, looking mildly surprised himself.

“So calling worked this time?”.

“You two have my phone number?” the Doctor raises his eyebrows, “I don’t give that to just anyone.”

“Apparently he hasn’t met us yet” Ianto tells Gwen.

“Are you from an old Cardiff family” asks the Doctor.

Gwen frowns “Well yes, all the way back to the eighteen hundreds.”

The Doctor beams, a jarring contrast from their earlier conversation “Ah, thought so. Spatial genetic multiplicity.”

“This is so strange” Gwen mutters.

While the Doctor fills Gwen in on the specifics of time grafting, minus Ianto’s personal situation, Ianto lets their voices drift off in the background. His mind whirls around in an attempt to make sense of things.

He is dying again. At least this time there is more hope. According to the Doctor, Ianto has a year to find a cure for whatever he was poisoned with. But the Doctor with his magic box should be able to find the cure in seconds. So why is he looking so sad whenever he looks over at him? And how can the Doctor, who according to Jack is supposed to know everything, not know about the 456? It was an invasion involving literally all the governments of the world.

But it added up with the Doctor’s inexplicable absence during the crisis.

Ianto can't get off planet to search for the 456 himself: he has to stay at Torchwood and save the day multiple times over with Gwen. His life depends on the Doctor, who might or might not be able to help him; he isn’t being very clear on the matter.

"Will you help us” Gwen is asking.

“I can’t stay, if that’s what you’re wondering. The next time I meet Jack in my timeline is months ago in your time, before the beginning of the graft. Seeing Jack before then would definitely be violating a fixed point. I should be wiping my memory of this as it is. But I will help you, I promise” he adds quickly, glancing at Ianto “Just not at the moment. If you need any help, you just have to call me, and unless I have some major catastrophe of my own, I will answer.”

He stands up “if that’s everything, I think I’d best be off,” he smiles at them pleasantly “Catch you later, Cooper and Jones.” With that, he returns to the TARDIS, which disappears in a screech.

“I hope he comes back” Ianto mutters.

Gwen glances at Ianto “Now that we’re here, let’s run through what will happen this year.”

He nods “Sure, let’s go to my house”

She grins at him as they go in "Kind of exciting isn't it?"

"Oh definitely."

* * *

They can’t possibly remember every blowfish and weevil that comes out of the rift, but after some discussion, they manage to come up with a list that (hopefully) puts the major events in order.

_There’s the introduction of Martha Jones to the Torchwood team in a few weeks time, culminating in Owen’s ‘death’._

_There’s Gwen’s wedding (which ended fairly well Ianto points out but Gwen insists that they add it)._

_There are the night travellers at the cinema._

_There’s Gwen discovering Flat Holm, which can easily be solved by Ianto persuading Jack to let her know._

_There was John Hart and Gray, who killed Tosh and Owen._

_There’s the incident with the Daleks stealing the entire planet earth. Jack left them once again for the Doctor, but he came back._

_Finally, there is the 456 invasion. Who knows how they will be able to stop that. Perhaps the Doctor would come this time, perhaps not._

As an afterthought Ianto includes the two days that no one in Torchwood can remember. Who knows what horrors could be hidden in them.

Gwen is especially worried about the two days, because they happen the day she comes back from her vacation, but Ianto reassures her that it is fine. Aside from occasional moments of deja vu, there were no lasting effects. And whatever happens, it was only two days. They can get through it. Anyway, if Gwen refuses to do the Paris trip, especially on such short notice, Jack will be suspicious.

Although not entirely convinced, Gwen agrees to go ahead with Paris.

* * *

 During Gwen’s absence, the rift spikes are unusually accommodating, sending out only the routine weevils and blowfishes. The rest of Torchwood start a competition: Jack and Ianto vs Tosh and Owen. Whichever team takes down their designated alien the fastest on a given day get paper crowns, elaborately designed by Ianto, the design master, along with bragging rights the day after: a major incentive for the opposing team to take them down.

Ianto and Jack win the most days, especially when it’s weevils...

It is all very fun, and Ianto almost wants to believe all memory of the year ahead is just a bad dream, but it’s impossible. Aside from extra details he just forgets (which are very few), Ianto can feel an uncomfortable sense of familiarity with the conversations, with Jack’s ridiculous stories, with the weevil catching excursions.

He frequently attempts to alter the timeline in small ways: leaving to make coffee at different times of the day, starting up impromptu games of naked hide and seek whenever he stays in the hub for the night. starting up a debate over the merits of bananas…

Jack loves bananas, but Ianto hates them. He had a sneaking suspicion that the reason Jack likes them is because the Doctor did. Mainly because Jack told him so in a drunken ramble one evening shortly before he left them for the Doctor. His hurt over Jack leaving him has faded with time, but he refuses to eat any bananas, no matter what Jack says about them.

(He's not jealous of the Doctor. He's just mad at the Doctor for being so bloody mysterious.)

On another note, being back with Tosh and Owen is wonderful. Owen is as abrasive and at times shockingly intelligent as ever, while Tosh is quietly brilliant through it all.

She’s working on expanding the database to document alien languages from the fragments of assorted text coming through the rift. Jack can understand any alien they came across, something to do with the TARDIS, but the rest of Torchwood needs their own translator. Not every alien can speak English after all, and Jack can’t always be there, as history has proven.

Maybe Ianto and Gwen would tell Tosh and Owen about the time graft, but not at the moment. Even if they can change their fates, there are three months until John Hart and Gray came to earth. They won't be able to do much until then.

Over the week, Ianto attempts to research the 456, but nothing comes up as expected. He visits the hospital where they found Clement, but none of the staff ever heard of him. He also makes a halfhearted search of the Torchwood archives, but he knows Jack would have taken every measure to wipe all data of the 456 from existence, given his role in handing over the children.

If the Doctor actually returns to help him, there will be no need to search for a cure himself, but he doesn't trust the Doctor. He really doesn’t. But considering the state of his life, he fears he might have to.

By the end of the week, he has found nothing of any remote help.

* * *

 The day before Gwen returns, Ianto stays over at the Hub with Jack. Whatever happens in the next 48 hours, he wants to be ready.

The next morning, he gets up early as usual to make coffee for everyone, when he notices a rift spike just outside the hub. He checks the security cameras, sees a man stumbling around just outside the entrance. He goes up to investigate, calling Jack for backup.

As soon as Ianto leaves the tourist office, the man’s gaze zeroes in on him and he strolls forward with a grin.

“Hey Ianto, long time no see”

“Who are you?” Ianto asks, frowning at him warily.

The man smirks, “Don’t act as if you don’t recognize me. I’ve only been gone a week, remember?”

Before Ianto can move, the man puts a hand on his shoulder. Ianto gasps as memories flow into his head. Of course. Adam went to Paris with Gwen and Rhys, (to chaperone them he had joked constantly). There was a mix up with the trains so he was returning a few hours early.

“Just kidding Adam” he responds, smiling slightly. “Welcome back.”


	3. Adam

Jack bursts out of the tourist office.

“Ianto, what’s going on”. He looks over at Adam. “Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?”

He's smiling in a mixture of absentminded flirtation and wariness, odd especially when aimed at Adam of all people. Is Jack honestly making the same horrible joke Ianto made just seconds ago?

Ianto rolls his eyes, “Jack, it’s Adam Smith, the man who worked for you for three years, remember?”

Jack looks at him in what seems like alarm, but Adam puts a hand on his shoulder. “C’mon Jack. Remember?”, and his expression immediately clears.

“It’s good to see you Adam”.

As Jack and Adam head to their respective work stations, Ianto goes back to the coffee machine. He sees five cups instead of six… did he put Adam’s cup in a cupboard? Strange. He doesn’t even remember what it looks like.

Wait. There are only five members of Torchwood: Adam, Jack, Tosh, Owen, and himself. Why did he think there were six? His gaze falls on one cup he doesn’t recognize. It must be Adam’s. How could he have forgotten.

The door begins to roll open, signifying the entrance of either Tosh or Owen. Adam gets up swiftly and moves towards the door.

“Hi guys” he says with a beaming smile. “C’mon, group hug!”

Both Tosh and Owen react with shouts of surprise, but Adam pulls them into a hug, and they relax, exchanging a friendly greeting..

Ianto notices that Tosh is looking several degrees more confident and chipper, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Owen by contrast is looking rather subdued. Does Owen dislike Adam? He doesn't remember.

Adam glances over at him with an odd look on his face. Right. He's staring at Adam. But he has no idea why. He thought he had a good memory but everything is so hazy when it comes to Adam. He's probably just stressed… for some reason...

He circles the Hub, giving everyone their coffee. Adam looks surprised when he drinks his. “Ianto, I forgot how good your coffee was” he says, putting a hand on his shoulder. Ianto feels a brief headache coming on but then everything begins to make sense.

Of course. Adam is his most trusted friend in the team. Everyone else dismisses him as the boring coffee boy, but Adam actually seems to enjoy his company. Ianto would do anything if it would make Adam happy.

He smiles back at him “I’m glad you think so”.

The team go on a quick trip to check out an unusual rift spike. Ianto as always is left at the Hub, and as usual, he takes advantage of the team’s absence to clean the place up. He will never understand how people could be so messy and yet still function. Just looking at a messy room gives him a headache and an urge to immediately fix it all up. Perhaps that’s why he has so few friends.

He remembers yelling at Jack one time when he and the rest of the team played a game in the archives. They messed up all the papers he had carefully stacked a few minutes earlier. Jack was furious that Ianto would talk back to him, but Adam managed to calm him down, shooting a look at Ianto, clearly warning him to shut up about it.

Something about his personality seems to set everyone off. Everyone but Adam.

The team returns, breathless with laughter and good cheer but once they entered the hub they get down to work.

“Unlabeled class D artefacts.” announces Jack, walking in with a large box carrying the Torchwood logo. “Tosh, I need you to run a full check.”

“Sure” responds Tosh cheerily. Ianto notices she's not wearing her spectacles, but that's a fairly normal occurrence.

“Owen you can help”

“Happy to”. Owen is wearing spectacles, along with a cardigan. He seems politer than usual.

He is always endearingly mild mannered and polite, especially around Tosh. It’s Tosh’s favorite thing to complain about.

“Adam, I know how much you love audits” Jack continues

“It’s got to be done”.

Adam has been doing them for the past three years. He hates them, but he’s better at them than anyone else, even Ianto.

A woman bursts into the hub. She dashes over to the rest of the team, putting her coat on the rack in such a familiar way as if she had done it a thousand times. Ianto has never seen her in before in his life, but the rest of Torchwood seems to know her.

“You’re late” says Jack, to which the woman answers “Yes, Paris was lovely, thank you”.

She starts upon seeing Adam, as if she had never met him before, but it turn out to be a joke and the two hug each other.

Ianto would not be surprised if the rest of Torchwood Three knows someone he doesn't, but that doesn't explain the woman's familiarity with the hub.

Under the guise of another coffee run, Ianto asks Adam who the woman is, and Adam looks at him as if he has gone crazy.

“Ianto” he says. “It’s Gwen. You’ve known her for nearly a year”.

“That’s impossible” Ianto protests. “I’ve never seen her before in my life”.

Adam looks even more concerned “We have to tell Jack. You could just be tired and stressed, but forgetting a person completely is never a good sign”.

“If we must” Ianto doesn’t always trust Jack, but when it comes to alien matters, he definitely is the most qualified.

But Jack is as astonished as the rest of them. He calls Gwen over and explains the situation. “This is probably just stress, so I would advise just talking through shared experiences: how you met, that sort of thing, to help jog your memory.” He raises an eyebrow at Ianto “I am surprised you of all people would get stressed Ianto. You always seem so above it all”.

While that almost sounds like a compliment, Ianto hears the warning behind the words. _Shape up_ Jack is saying, _or you will be fired and retconned like so many who came before you._ He was given a second chance after Lisa; he will not get a third one.

He sits down cagily on the chair opposite Gwen’s, and Jack and Adam drift away, giving them some space. “This probably seems like a poor attempt at a joke, but I really don’t remember you” he says quickly before Gwen can say anything. “I’m really sorry”.

Gwen gazes at him searchingly, then smiles.

“It’s not your fault Ianto” she says. “Stress happens to the best of us. As Jack said, maybe you are better at handling stress than the rest of us, but maybe you’re just better at internalizing it” she laughs “I sound a bit like a therapist now, but it’s true. None of us are superhuman, not you, and... not even Jack.” She puts on a determined expression “now let’s do what Jack said. Alright?”

He nods “Alright”.

“The first time I met you was up in the tourist entrance. I had seen the others bring a dead body back to life: I was curious. I tracked them to the hub and posed as the pizza delivery girl to get in, but you all knew exactly what I was doing from the moment you saw me watching you guys with that body. You were the one who opened the hub door for me. As I went in, everyone pretended to ignore me, but pretty soon you all burst out laughing.” She grinned at the memory “It was bit traumatic. Anyway, Jack introduced the team: Adam, Owen, Tosh, Suzie, and you, saying you look great in a suit, which is true. You called him out for sexual harassment, but it seemed to be a running joke for you two.” Her face darkens “The next day, Suzie committed suicide after trying to kill me, and I joined the team. Do you remember any of this?”

Ianto shakes his head helplessly “Kind of? I can see these events clearly in my head, but I don't remember how I felt about you being there. I’m sorry” he says again.

Gwen sighs “To be fair, we aren't very close. Not like you and Jack”

“We must hate each other then” Ianto responds. Is she joking? If she really works for Torchwood, she would know that he's as close to Jack as a mouse is with a cat

She continues thoughtfully “You don’t remember I suppose, but until very recently, working at Torchwood, I had a major crush on Jack. He was this dashing hero, the leader of an organization who saved people from aliens.” she laughs “How sexy could you get... And of course he was immortal: that just increased the appeal. I persuaded myself that he returned my affections, and I think he did, to some extent: I am a member of his team, and he loves everyone in his team.” She smiles at Ianto “But not like he loves you. My point in saying this is that you do not need to apologize. First of all, in no way is this your fault, and secondly, you have someone who loves you deeply for who you are and would do anything for you, no matter what you do.

Ianto stares at her “Who are you?” he asks, shaking his head in disbelief “I imagine you are probably part of Torchwood: everyone recognizes you but me, but what are you saying about Jack? He doesn’t love me. In fact...”

He glances quickly around. Jack is nowhere to be seen so he’s probably down in the archives. “The only reason he tolerates my existence is because of Adam” he smiles warmly at the man in question who walked over to listen to their conversation and just catches the last part of it.

Gwen frowns at him “Adam…?” Adam came up to them, hands coming up to rest on their shoulders in a gesture of comfort and solidarity. She groans, rubbing her eyes. “I think I’m getting your memory problem Ianto” she says.

Adam smiles at the two of them “Don’t worry, it’s just your memory playing tricks on you that’s all. We can get Owen to check out the possible causes”.

The three of them sit in companionable silence, watching Owen attempt to impress Tosh with possibly the most pathetic toy rat in existence. Tosh as usual is having none of it, focusing on her work. “Just what I need. A small rodent looking at me while I work. Think I'll call it Owen.”

“He's like a puppy bringing her sticks” remarks Gwen. “When's he gonna realise he's got no chance?”

Adam smiles indulgently “Oh, leave him alone. I think it’s sweet. He’s happy”.

* * *

That evening, Tosh and Owen remain at the hub to analyze the rest of the debris. The others offer to help, but they say they are fine on their own. Ianto suspects Owen is particularly ecstatic about this, if only from seeing his grin of utter joy once Tosh’s back is turned.

So while Jack stays at the Hub, brooding, sleeping, or whatever it is the idiot does in his spare time, The rest of them head home. Adam catches up to Ianto before he leaves.

“Ianto…”. He looks nervous. “Given that we have a relatively peaceful night, I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner together”.

_Is he asking him out on a date?_

“Are you asking me out on a date?”. Ianto smiles slightly, inviting Adam to dismiss it as a joke.

Adam nods resolutely “I am, if you’re interested”.

Ianto draws breath, but hesitates, unsure of what to say.  He likes Adam a lot, perhaps even loves him, but he doesn’t wish to ruin their friendship.

It was only a dinner though: it didn’t have to become anything serious.

“I’d love to have dinner with you. I’m just surprised anyone would ask me out on a date.” He says.

Adam looks at him with an odd expression, a mixture of what looks like guilt and concern.

“Well you shouldn’t be” he says finally.

* * *

Gwen walks home slowly, thinking about Ianto’s sudden amnesia. Owen examined him and could find nothing wrong - no alien intervention or even any long term damage - so everyone agreed that it was likely brought about by some temporary form of stress. Why Ianto would be this stressed is a mystery to her, but he has always been good at hiding his emotions. Something seems odd about the whole situation. She feels like there is something she needs to remember, something important, but she doesn’t know what it is.

She is so lost in her thoughts that she almost does not notice the new decor of her apartment, but then she does notice, and she freezes in shock, adrenaline rushing through her veins.

The shelves are lined with multiple pictures of herself and a total stranger.

Gwen stares at the pictures. The stranger is a man, only slightly taller than her, with an average looking face. He looks completely friendly and harmless, and by the look of the pictures he seems very close to her, as if they were lovers. But she has no recollection of this man.

A hand falls on her shoulder and she screams, whirling around to come face to face with the man from the photos.

* * *

They wander around the neighborhood, looking for someplace to eat, finally deciding on an Italian restaurant that Ianto has been to before. It’s a decent place, with reasonable pricing. The food and the atmosphere of the restaurant is just good enough to warrant spending money on without being too fancy.

It’s awkward at first, with both of them hiding behind their menus, but Adam breaks the silence.

“We don’t know much about each other, not really” he says. “What with work and all”. He smiles at Ianto “I want this chance to get to know you better.”

“What do you want to know?”.

“Well...I know how you got to be working for Torchwood Cardiff, but I have been wondering how you got to be working for Torchwood at all. What got you into this whole mess?”

“The only person knowing this story who is still alive, is Jack” Ianto mutters. “And he looked at my file.”

“Well I did not” Adam returns firmly. He leans forward, putting a hand on Ianto’s shoulder. “I want to know from you.”

Ianto decides to tell him.

“I got in through Lisa. We met in college. I had trouble making friends, but she liked me, and she was so fun to be around. She was in computer science while I majored in ancient history of all things” he laughs bitterly. “Her whole family had been in Torchwood for generations, so it was expected that she would join, and even in college, she was involved in Torchwood in a minor capacity. Not that she minded, what with all the futuristic tech she could work with.” He smiles fondly, remembering. “Around the time we officially became a couple, I began to be suspicious about the company she was ‘interning’ for: Arban Realties. I did some digging and discovered that it was a front for Torchwood. They might have retconned me, but they were impressed with my persistence, and with some persuasion from Lisa, they hired me. I became an archivist, working there up until...” he swallows, looking down at the table. “Well you know the rest.”

Adam nods “I do.” He puts his hand on Ianto’s shoulder, smiling at him.

“Thank you for telling me, Ianto. I appreciate it.”

Ianto smiles awkwardly. He can feel Adam staring at him and he can’t quite muster up the courage to look up at him. “What about you?” he asks, partly out of genuine curiosity, and partly to direct the conversation away from himself.

He hears Adam shifting in his seat. He gets the courage to look up at him, and finds to his surprise that Adam looks even more uncomfortable than Ianto feels.

“Ianto, there is something I have to tell you.” He hesitates. He's actually blushing. “I... I really like you Ianto, more than anyone I have ever known. I just wanted you to know this in case something terrible happens.”

Warmth spread through Ianto’s chest and he smiles. Is this love?

There is just one thing that feels off about this.

“Why now” he asks. At Adam’s confusion he elaborates. “You say ‘in case something terrible happens.’ Something bad could happen to us every day, but it's an occupational hazard of the job. We all know this. But Adam, you sound specific. Is there something you're not saying?”

As if on cue, Adam’s phone rings. He takes it out, and with an apologetic look at Ianto, he answers. As he listens to whoever is speaking on the other side, his expression grows more and more panicked. He hangs up. “Someone broke into Gwen’s apartment. I have to go.” He looks at Ianto for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. “I’m sorry” he says.

With that, he sweeps out of the restaurant.

Ianto apologizes to the waiter who was just coming to take their order, and follows Adam as fast as he can.

* * *

As it turns out, no one broke into Gwen’s apartment. It was just Rhys, but Gwen did not recognize him. They leave Rhys at the apartment and return to the hub for the second checkup of the day. Something is definitely wrong. There is no chance that he and Gwen both having severe memory problems can be a coincidence. Rhys is Gwen’s fiance! How could she have forgotten her fiance?

Ianto quietly observes Gwen’s examination in the shadows of the Hub. Owen is repeating exactly what he said to Ianto a few hours ago: that he has no idea.

Now the team is discussing the possible reasons for this amnesia.

Ianto tunes them out and thinks over the events of the day.

He doesn’t know about Gwen, but he never experienced amnesia before today. There is no way this is a natural occurrence.  It’s either retcon or an alien influence.

But it can’t be retcon. He and Gwen both reported feeling the same way about their lost memories. They both felt as if they could see the memories, but there was no emotion. Retcon doesn’t work like that.

So alien influence. How could he and Gwen be the only ones affected? What separated them from the rest of the team?

And why did it happen today? Did it have to do with the morning rift spike?

Ianto stops. I’m an idiot he realizes.

He has a record of his life at Torchwood. How could he have forgotten?

A detailed diary depicting everything he experiences, from the aliens they meet, to his relationships with the team. From the diary, he can remember exactly what he forgot! And maybe it would even reveal how his and Gwen’s memories were wiped.

He slips down to the archives.

Adam is the only one who notices his departure.

* * *

Gwen slumps in her chair as Owen continues to run scans. It has already been an hour, and he is getting nowhere.

They bring up retcon as a possible culprit for the lost memories, but Gwen shoots it down. Whatever is wrong with her, it doesn’t feel like retcon. Jack videotaped an interview with Rhys where Rhys talked about their supposed first kiss. If it was retcon, her memory would have come back.

But it didn’t.

So they are proceeding from the assumption that the amnesia came from alien intervention. It is conceivable that Owen’s scan missed something: Torchwood’s technology was admittedly flawed.

“Over the past week we've had our usual rounds of Weevils and Blowfish.” Tosh muses. “As far as I know, none of them did anything unusual.”

“I doubt it's anything that happened over the week” Gwen points out. “Otherwise, how would I be affected? I wasn't here.”

“If it was some kind of alien disease, it could have been passed to you from one of us” says Owen thoughtfully. Gwen notices that when he’s in his element, he doesn't seem so painfully awkward. “I could run a scan on the rest of us, see if we’re carrying anything noticeable. But since nothing showed up when I scanned Gwen and Ianto, I don't know if it would be much use.”

He sighs with dejection.

“But maybe it will be of use. It can't hurt to try.” Tosh smiles at Owen encouragingly. “Cheer up Owen.”

“I can look over our medical data.” She adds. “There may be something that Gwen and Ianto both have that make them more susceptible to this sudden amnesia.”

Gwen turns to Jack “You’ve been quiet. Have you ever seen anything like this?”

She finds him staring off into space.

“Do you see him” he asks her. She looks, but she sees nothing, just the hub.

“Are you alright Jack?” asks Tosh, peering at him in concern. “Are you having a memory problem?”

Jack shook his head, as if he could disperse a cloud of worry and unease that has settled over the room. “I'm fine.”

He flashes a reassuring smile that is clearly fake.

“Let's go ahead with the scan.”

“I'll do you first” Owen decides.

Gwen hops off the medical chair, letting Jack take her place.

A wave of vertigo sweeps over her and she stumbles. Her head hurts, but it feels as if a cloud is lifting from her mind.

She flashes back to what Tosh said. _What is the connection between her and Ianto?_

_They are both from the future!_

_How did she forget something like that?_

She looks wildly around the hub. Surely Ianto must have come to the same realization. Maybe it was a coincidence, but if it wasn’t, then they might have to reveal the truth, at least to Tosh and Owen.

She can't see Ianto. Adam’s gone as well.

A voice penetrates her fog of panic. “Gwen! Can you hear me!”

Jack has his hands on her shoulders. He looks worried. He should be.

Gwen stares at him, trying to remain calm.

“Jack. Where are Ianto and Adam?”

* * *

He doesn’t understand. It doesn’t make any sense.

Ianto flips through the pages of his diary in growing confusion.

Where is Adam in his diary?

Everything else is there. He wrote about all the aliens he encountered in Torchwood. He wrote about Lisa. He wrote about Tosh and Owen. He wrote about Gwen: how they met was indeed as she said. He wrote about Jack...

But there is nothing about Adam. Nothing. It doesn’t make sense.

Ianto leans back on the couch, thinking about what to do next. There is a possibility that the diary was a fake. But why? Why would someone go to the trouble? As far as he knows, he is the only one who knows the location of his diary.

As horrible as it is, the alternative makes more sense. He is holding his real diary.

“What’s wrong?”

Ianto turns his head to the side and sees Adam sitting next to him. He gasps, flinging himself away from the couch.

“My diary.” He points at it uncertainly, staring at Adam

Adam picks it up and rifles through it, looking mildly surprised.

“You’re not in it.” Ianto explains, heart pounding. “Everyone else is. Why would I leave you out when you've been here so long?”

Adam gazes at him from the couch, unmoving.

“Like I'm remembering a man who doesn't exist.”

Adam winces, holding up his arm which flickers in and out of existence. The diary falls out of his hand.

“I knew this would happen” he says bitterly, looking down at the diary. “But couldn’t you have waited a few more days?”

“What are you?” asks Ianto, keeping his distance from the couch.

Adam glares at him, but then his face clears and he then just frowns, looking thoughtful. “I’ll tell you” he says slowly, as if he is just realizing it himself. “I’ll tell you...” he takes a deep breath. “I’m a Setian. Do you know what that is?”

Ianto shakes his head.

Adam frowns. “Hmm. Well I suppose they rarely travel to this backwater planet.” He holds up a hand, “Don’t take offense at this. It is merely an accurate statement.” He smiles awkwardly.

_Was he joking?_

He coughs. “Anyway, we’re from the planet Zoia. It’s a fair ways from earth: taking into account the rate at which your civilization is developing, it will take centuries for you humans to come across it.”

He laughs slightly. “But maybe that is for the best. We are not a nice lot. Every so often, a baby is born with a mutation giving him access to the memories of everyone in his vicinity. Like me. We make everyone very scared of course, and so Setians like me are treated as the lowest of the low.”

He says it flippantly, but Ianto hears an undercurrent of genuine pain behind the words.

“So we form protest groups” Adam continues quickly, “and we petition the government to give us the rights we deserve. I get arrested for beating up a guard in the government palace. The guard dies and in punishment I am thrown into the rift. We cannot survive if we’re not around people who have memories of us, whether they are real or not, so it was a death sentence.”

Ianto frowns “But?” He’s not entirely sure whether or not to feel sorry for him.

“But on the brink of death I washed up here.” He gets up from the couch. Ianto starts to back away, but he stops, astonished. Adam has tears in his eyes.

“You were the first person I saw.” he says. “All of you here in Torchwood have such unique memories, but you and Gwen are special.” He smiles. “You don’t remember, but you have met me before.”

“Another memory you stole?”

Adam shakes his head “No. That was all you. Once Jack realized who I was, he made all of you take retcon. He killed me.”

Ianto rolls his eyes “You were killed again?”

“According to your memories, yes.” He swallows. “But it’s funny… because I’ve never met you.”

“What?”

“You remember an alternate version of my stay in Torchwood.” he explains. “Ianto, your mind is incredible. I like you. But from your memories, I found out that I hurt you, almost irreparably.”

“When you plant false memories in our heads, or take them away, you change our personalities. You hurt all of us.” Ianto protests angrily.

“No. Once Torchwood knew me for a long enough time, I was going to erase the memories I had planted and plant a memory that I had joined the normal way: Jack hiring me on a whim. It would have been perfect, but you and Gwen, coming from the future, are breaking down my memories. In your reality I was an arrogant, selfish fool, and when you discovered me, I tortured you.”

Ianto takes several steps back, and Adam doesn’t follow him. “It was wrong, and I died  because of it. I will never do something like that to anyone.”

He seems genuinely sorry. Ianto cautiously moves closer to him. “Jack has to know this” he says. “He may be able to help you.”

Adam smiles bitterly. “I knew you would say that. You love him again don’t you”

“Yeah... I do.”

“Do you really think he can help?”

“Yes”

“I wish I could believe you but I don’t. For what it’s worth… I’m sorry.” his smile shifts into something more genuine. “It’s been fun Ianto. It really has.”

Adam lunges forward and grasps Ianto’s shoulders. A wave of pain and nausea sweeps over him and he screams, falling to the floor.

* * *

From the CCTV footage, they are quickly able to find Adam and Ianto in a room in the archives. The footage picks them up just in time for them to see Adam attack Ianto and Ianto screaming.  

They rush down into the archives.

Jack sends Tosh and Owen around the opposite entrance while Gwen stays with him. They burst into the room.

Adam is crouched next to Ianto, a hand resting Ianto’s shoulder. Gwen hopes he’s just unconscious, but she can’t tell for sure. Adam looks up at the team, looking unsurprised to see them pointing guns at him.

“Get away from him!” Jack demands, stepping forward.

“Ah, Ah.” Adam holds up a hand, the other still touching Ianto. “I’m afraid I can’t do that Jack. You see, at this moment in time, Ianto is perfectly alright, but if I let go of him, then he will die. Now step back just a little, and lower your guns.”

Jack steps back, but with clear reluctance. “What do you want with Ianto?” he demands, lowering his gun slightly and signaling everyone else to do so.

“Nothing. He’s just unconscious.” Adam smiles. “I want this chance at a calm, rational conversation, that doesn’t involve you locking me up.”

Jack smiles, but his eyes are murderous. “Then talk to me Adam. If that’s even your name.”

“It’s not my name. I made my name and appearance all up on a whim. Do you like it? No don’t answer it’s not important.” He sighs, patting Ianto absently with the hand not gripping his shoulder. “I assume your memories are mostly all back then.”

“Who are you and what do you want?”

“My dear Gwen, I was just telling Ianto who I was before you all rudely interrupted. I won’t tell you again; you can see it all on your security footage.” He smirks, but his eyes lock with hers intently, “ _I know you’re from the future.”_ He says this without moving his lips and without anyone else appearing to hear him.

So Adam was telepathic then.

_Make sure you or Ianto see it before anyone else.”_

“ _Okay.”_ She responds in her head uncertainly. From his look of relief, Adam appears to hear her.

He turns back to Jack. “As for what I want, well it’s simple. I want to survive, and I will do whatever it takes to survive. Here’s my deal. If you do nothing to harm me or impede my progress in anyway, then I will leave this city. The fake memories I implanted in your heads are breaking down: soon all that is left will be the 15 or so hours that I was actually here.

“Will you be intruding in the memories of other people?” Owen demands.

Adam shakes his head “If you all remember me, I won’t have to.” He locks eyes with Jack “Trust me. I will know if you take any retcon. Do we have a deal?”

Jack hesitates. “What about Ianto? What have you done with him?”

Adam looks down at Ianto, frowning, “I made him go to sleep. I shut down his mind.” He looks up and sees Jack’s expression. “It’s not a problem. I promise you I can fix everything. I’ll bring Ianto up with me just as far as the outside of the hub and then I’ll leave. Okay?”

Gwen glances at Jack. This whole scenario reminds her too much of Jack and Ianto confronting the 456; Ianto at the mercy of an entity they knew very little about, and Jack watching his life collapse around him.  

But as incredible as it feels, Adam seems to be on their side now, at least to some extent judging from this little message to her. Maybe they could trust him.

After a moment, Jack nods reluctantly “We’re following you up.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just as long as you leave the weapons behind.”

Jack hesitates, but once again capitulates. Gwen is relieved; none of them have any idea what they’re dealing with. If they try anything, who knows how Adam will react.

“Okay let’s go!” Adam squeezes Ianto’s shoulder and he opens his eyes. He sits up slowly, supported tenderly by Adam, taking stock of the situation. He seems alright, just a little tired and disappointed.

“Adam. Really?” Ianto sighs, closing his eyes. “Did you really have to do this. You know we can help you.”

Some regret shows in his eyes, but his voice is firm “I can’t trust any of you. Torchwood is the organization that hunts down aliens This way I have some control over the situation. C’mon get up.” Adam squeezes his shoulder again, Ianto winces, and they both get up.

They walk out of the archives and they leave the hub, with the rest of Torchwood following them.

* * *

In his mind, in his thoughts, everywhere he turns, he sees Adam shining brightly. It’s overwhelming. Too overwhelming. He can’t form a thought without Adam burning into it. He can’t do anything other than walk blindly next Adam.

Adam stops just outside the hub, where Ianto first saw him.

He turns Ianto to face him. “Here’s where I can leave.” He squeezes Ianto’s shoulder again then takes his hand away, stepping back. Ianto steps back as well, rubbing his temples, trying to dispel a rush of disorientation.

“Where are you going to go?” he asks.

“Absolutely no idea.” Adam laughs. Maybe I’ll spend some time around this backwater planet of yours. But exclusively as a tourist of course, don’t you worry. I’ll be a good boy. Good luck with the future business. Hope you don’t die.”

Ianto snorts. “Yeah. Me too”

“No I mean it. I would never have killed you.” He smirks, raising a hand. “See you around Ianto Jones.”

And with that Adam disappears. He winks out of existence as if he was never there in the first place.

Ianto stumbles back, falling to his knees. Adam’s gone but his head is still burning and his vision’s all hazy. It’s the first time he notices that the rest of Torchwood is there. Jack is kneeling in front of him, asking him a question over and over again, which he eventually deciphers as “Are you alright?”

“Think so.” He answers, smiling vaguely at where he thinks Jack’s face is located.

Jack smiles back. “Let’s get you into the hub.”

“Good idea.” He tries to stand and promptly collapses. Jack catches him before he hits the floor, but nevertheless, he blacks for the second time in under an hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit longer this time.  
> As you can see, now it's present tense. Does that make it better? No idea.


End file.
